US Army considering longer dwell time for soldiers stationed at Fort Afghanistan

FORT AFGHANISTAN — The U.S. Army is considering a longer dwell time for soldiers stationed at its base in eastern Afghanistan, sources confirmed today.

According to officials, the move would ease the strain on soldiers and their families at Fort Afghanistan, many of whom have endured constant deployments to the United States since 9/11.

“This is about doing what’s right for our soldiers,” said Gen. Mark Milley, the Army Chief of Staff. “And if we can keep them at home in Afghanistan a little bit longer, that’s just fine by me.”

For now, Army officials are shooting for a dwell time goal of 1:3, meaning at least one half of soldiers who deploy away from their Afghanistan base to a more austere environment such as Germany or the United States will spend at least three years at home.

The move is also expected to save money for military families, since soldiers would spend more time at their home base and wouldn’t need to pay for lavish expenses such as laundry or fuel for their cars.

If officials get their way on dwell time, that would mean good news for the roughly 20,000 soldiers of XXXVII Corps, the most senior unit at the installation.